Do You Follow Lance on Twitter?

ride. It’s been a while since I’ve written about cycling, and high time for another post. So when I saw this video on Facebook (hat tip to Sandy S. for posting it), I laughed so hard I knew I had to pass it along to y’all.

Are those carbon wheels?
(all photos of 2008 Santa Cruz Criterium)

Folks who ride bikes, follow the Tour de France, or hang out with cyclists will no doubt appreciate it the most, but I think others will find it amusing too. And no, it’s not all that far-fetched; I’ve heard lots of those phrases come out of the mouths of Lycra-clad road warriors. (Okay, so I’ve said some of them, too).

The video was made in support of an organization called Peopleforbikes, which has an on-line petition you can sign. They describe their purpose as follows:

We formed Peopleforbikes.org (PFB) in 2010 to help make bicycling better for everyone. We wanted to encourage individuals to show their support for safe, stress-free bicycling in their hometowns. We wanted to publicize and celebrate all the great things that happen when people ride bikes.

I’m pretty sure I have a flat.

So far, so good! After a solid first year, the PFB movement nearly tripled in size during 2011. Nearly 500,000 supporters now power our collective, unified voice. We will continue to grow in 2012.

We've rallied the PFB troops four times to show how much Americans care about the federal investment in bicycling. In 2011, our movement sent more than 100,000 letters to U.S. Representatives and Senators. These messages made a strong impression, and inspired Congress to preserve dedicated funding for essential bike infrastructure and programs—at least for now.

I’d totally be a pro if I didn’t have to work.

Nevertheless, some members of Congress still want to eliminate all support for bicycling and reallocate that money to highways. They fail to recognize how the steady federal investment is boosting bicycling and helping our nation in many important ways. They overlook the tangible outcomes and the cost-effectiveness: 3,000 bike projects are backed nationwide for less than the cost of a dozen miles of multi-lane highway in a single city.

Your voices have made a difference. But the fight isn't over.

2012 will be a challenging year for federal support of bicycling. Federal transportation funding expires at the end of March. Congress must either approve a new, multi-year bill or extend the current bill again. Either way, the value of ongoing bicycling investments will be debated. Future funding will be determined.

Peopleforbikes.org is ready for this fight, and we want all of our supporters to be ready for additional calls to action. Together we can protect key investments in bicycling that keep people safe and encourage more individuals to get on their bicycles.

Ride on, people!

Crits are so lame.

The Perfect Baguette Recipe, Now Published

eat. Several years ago I mentioned here that Marty Ginsburg, the wonderful, witty, tax professor/attorney husband of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, had divulged to me the recipe he had come up with for “the perfect baguette.” Based on two long phone conversations with him, I had written out—to his exacting instructions—a detailed recipe for his baguettes, which I sent to him, and which he subsequently approved (with some minor changes).

As I note at the beginning of the recipe, “I am not an experienced baker, but followed the recipe carefully and ended up with the best baguettes I have ever had outside of France.” And it’s true.

a batch of the "perfect baguettes," just out of the oven

The next year, I asked Marty if I could include the recipe in my memoir about the dinner I had cooked for him and his jurist wife, Cooking For Ruth. (You can read about the dinner here.) Apologetically, he requested that I not use it, explaining that so many folks were always asking to publish his recipes that he just found it easiest to say “I never let any of them be published.”

Marty and me at the dinner I cooked for the Ginsburgs

Sadly, Marty passed away in 2010. As a tribute to him, several of the Supreme Court spouses decided to put together a book of his recipes, entitled Chef Supreme. It’s published by the Supreme Court Historical Society, and is available on line, and at the Supreme Court gift shop.

When I heard about the book, I of course had to buy a copy. It arrived yesterday, and I immediately started flipping through the pages. The frontispiece is a charming photo of Ruth and Marty:

web photo, (c) Mariana Cook, 1998

And lo and behold, to my delight I saw that the third recipe in the book is entitled “The Perfect Baguette,” and is a word-for-word reproduction of the recipe I had written down and sent to Marty. (And yes, the book does give me credit.) I guess Ruth must have passed it along to the Supreme Court spouses for inclusion in the cookbook.

So the good news is that his terrific recipe is now available for all the world to use.

working, after my bike ride, on a batch of Marty’s baguettes

You can read about the cookbook, and about Marty and his famous baguettes, here. And if you’d like to buy a copy, go to this website (note that the book is $25, but there’s also a $10 shipping fee).

Real Mincemeat Pie

eat. About a year ago I mentioned here my desire to make an old fashioned mince pie—the kind with meat, as well as fruit and spices. It took twelve months, but this year for Christmas I finally made one.

This recipe is not for those whose new year resolutions involve losing weight, as it contains, in addition to the apples, raisins and brown sugar in your typical mince pie, beef and suet (i.e., beef fat), not to mention two sticks of butter for the crust.

you know it’s rich when the dollop of whipped cream cuts the fat

I based this recipe on one I found on line (see here), but changed it a fair bit, and cut it down to enough for just one pie.

Mince pie apparently originated in England when the crusaders brought back spices from the Holy Land, and the pies—made with mutton—became a part of the Christmas festivities. (See a history here.)

For my pie I settled on beef, as mutton is rather gamey, and hard to come by—especially in Hawaii—in any case. Start by browning and then braising one pound of chuck or other similar cut of beef:


Braise it covered until tender (at least an hour), and then uncover it and let all but about a cup of the liquid evaporate:


You can see here that after it cooled over night in the fridge, the liquid from my beef had become a yummy gelatin. Be sure to save the gelatin to add to your pie.


Getting suet here in Hilo was an interesting experience. I rang the bell at the butcher department of my local grocery store, and was met by a deaf woman who didn’t know what suet was. After a few frustrating minutes playing charades and writing down the word “suet” on a piece of paper, only to be met by a shrug of the shoulders, she went in search of her cohort. He was a big man with red cheeks and a nice smile. “Suet?” he asked. “We don’t get asked for that often.” I could tell he was pleased with my request.

“It’s for a pie,” I said.

“Well, I do get some when I break down the T-Bones. I could save it for you, but it won’t be a lot.”

“I only need a half a pound, or even less.” He stood there for a moment sizing me up and then said, “I tell you what. I was going to do it later this afternoon, but I guess I could do it now. If you’ve got more shopping to do, just come back in about fifteen minutes and I’ll have it for you.”

When I returned, the deaf woman handed me this packet (click on it to enlarge):


Twenty-five cents for pet food. What a guy. I do love butchers.

To make a proper mincemeat pie, all you do is add chopped cooked meat and (uncooked) suet to your regular mince pie filling (see recipe at end of post). Here is my beef and suet chopped up and ready to go:


For the rest of the filling, combine 2 apples, the juice of 1 lemon,


1 cup of raisins, ½ cup of apple cider vinegar, and 1 ½ cups brown sugar.


Add 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, and ½ teaspoon each of ground cloves, allspice and nutmeg. Finish it off with ½ cup of dark rum or brandy (this can be added either before or after cooking the filling).

Cook it all together (don’t forget to add the meat, gelatin, and suet) for an hour and then let it cool. Add salt to taste (about ½ teaspoon).


This filling can be made several days ahead, and kept in the fridge. I baked my pie on Christmas day, so it would still be warm when we ate it.

You’ll need a bottom and a top crust. For those unfamiliar with making pie crusts, I recommend this video. I don’t use a food processor, as it’s just one more thing to wash, and instead use my hands. Make sure you don’t overwork the dough; it should just barely hold together, and the butter pieces should be (as she says in the video) big—lima bean size.

Lay your bottom layer of pie crust in the pan and crimp the edges, and then spoon in the mince pie filling.

those flecks of white are the suet

Lay the top crust on top, trim the edges, and crimp it into the bottom crust. I had a lot of extra dough, so I rolled it out again and cut it into strips to make a lattice on top, using half and half brushed on first to act as a glue. Cut vents in the top, so the steam can be released during cooking.

brush half and half (or egg wash or milk)
on top of the lattice as well, for good browning

Cover the edges with foil and bake the pie in a preheated 425°F oven for about 30 minutes, until it starts to brown.


Carefully remove the foil (so it doesn’t take any crust with it) and continue baking for another 10 or 15 minutes, until the pie is golden brown all over.


Serve it warm (you can reheat it in the oven for a few minutes if it’s gotten completely cool). It goes great with ice cream or whipped cream (see photo at top of post).

And the result? you’re no doubt wondering. Truly amazing. You don’t really taste the meat, but it gives the pie an extraordinary texture and, well, meatiness. I’ve never been much of a fan of regular, out-of-the-box mince pies, but I don’t think I’m exaggerating if I say that this was one of the best pies I’ve ever had.

But be warned that it is very, very rich.

Happy New Year!


Mincemeat Pie Recipe

Filling

1 lb. braised beef, cooled and chopped into small pieces
liquid or gelatin from braised beef
½ lb. suet, chopped into small pieces
2 medium apples, cut into small chunks
1 cup raisins (or mixture of raisins and currents)
juice of 1 lemon
½ cup apple cider vinegar
1 ½ cups brown sugar
½ cup dark rum or brandy
1 t cinnamon
½ t ground cloves
½ t allspice
½ t nutmeg
½ t salt

Mix all ingredients in a large pot and simmer uncovered, stirring often, for one hour. Let cool. Can be made several days ahead and kept in the fridge.


Crust (for two 9-inch crusts)

2 ½ cups all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling out
1 t salt (if using unsalted butter)
1 cup cold butter, cut into small chunks
3-6 T ice water

Combine flour and (if using) salt. Add the butter and mix lightly, either with your hands or in a food processor. Add ice water little by little, until the dough just holds together. Form into two balls with floured hands, press into 4-inch discs, wrap in plastic wrap and chill for at least 1 hour. (This much can be done a day or two ahead.) Roll out into two crusts, slightly larger than the pie pan you are using.


To Bake

Put bottom crust in pan; add filling; top with second crust. Cut slits in crust and bake at 425°F oven for about 30 minutes, until it starts to brown. Remove foil and continue baking for another 10 or 15 minutes, until golden brown.